Thank you for the review Tom. I am sorry I was not accurate on the carat weight. I'm not sure how that happened but it did. But every so often it does happen and I make up for it. As long as you are still happy with the parcel I am happy. Great video. 🙂
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop yes many people love what I do and what I stand for so I don’t miss much as I get sent everything that happens on the inter webs haha. It’s an honour that you felt you wanted to share your thoughts on us. Thank you 🙏
Glad to see that Justin and Co tried to make it right with you and you were still satisfied. Justin's always seemed like a standup guy, so I wasn't surprised. Good luck cutting them into beautiful gems, Tom!
Some people seem to think I'm accusing Justin and Black Opal Direct of trying to pull a fast one. I am not. An honest mistake was made on their part and realizing their mistake they offered a full refund which I declined because I was still happy with my purchase. If you are in the market for Australian Opal I recommend checking out Blackopaldirect.com They sell top quality opals both rough and cut as well as jewelry.
I get my opals at a very low prices via a reputable Australian auction. Black Opal Direct is the reason why I started cutting opals in the first place. The man has some awesome philosophies. I cut every one of my stones by hand...literally... and I enjoy it. Nice review.
Justin is a very fair guy so no drama there. Not all lightning ridge flares under UV infact Coober Pedy is far more UV reactive so not a good test. As far as cutting goes you'll easily make a profit if cut properly especially that 3td black multicoloured if you slice it. Stones that size rarely create single gems
Takes me way back to when I made my first BOD unboxing, really cool to see! Would love to see a follow up video on the stones you manage to cut out of that one. Typos happen and glad its all cleared up. Recorded a reaction video for the channel but it wont be released for quite a while and hopefully that will send a bunch of people your way. The more opal videos online the better so keep it up!
I've bought opals from BOD before, and I think they are very honest people, so I completely accept that it was a typo. While I find that their prices are a little higher than some places, so too are the quality of their rough stones, so who is to say that that isn't a "fair" price. $1500 seems about on par for a 236ct parcel of blue stones LR nobbies from them. A couple thoughts from what I suspect is a *slightly* more experienced opal buyer and cutter: 1) Those are veritable paperweights or self defense tools. I say that in a good way, I am completely jealous of their size. Most of the LR material that I buy is a quarter of that size at best. It's really fun working with stones that large because with smaller stones, you know that even if everything goes well, it's not going to get any bigger than the original rough piece. 2) While I love blue (it's may favorite color, even when talking opals), they're not worth what green or yellow, or red stones are worth. So if you're in it to make a happy buck, experience has taught me that it's harder to get excited when I see a lot of blue in a parcel. The bits of red are quite small in these and will probably disappear along with the sand unfortunately (Red likes to live right under the sand, and sometimes interspersed with it). 3) This is probably the most important point, Don't count your chickens until they're hatched. It's easy, I mean really easy, to fall into a lottery mentality with opal. When looking at a prospective parcel to buy, try not to hope for the best, in fact you're probably better off expecting the worst. (Then again if you're a total pessimist, you'll never cut anything worthwhile) I often hear that you can expect to lose about 65% of the stone to the cutting process, but that really depends on the initial state of the rough piece. For me that number seems to be closer to 80 or 85%, but that's because I tend to buy the roughest of the rough. Sometimes the color bar, if there is one at all (and it's not just blue tinted jelly opal), can cover less of the surface than you expect. I'm going to guess that you may have an 8 to 15 ct stone hiding in that 94ct piece of rough, IF you cut away all the bits that bring the value down (many people wouldn't, and many people would have large boring stones). Now don't let that number get you down, a stone that large has value just by virtue of it's size, but of all the 30+ carat pieces of rough that I've cut, only a few have yielded a finished stone that is more than 20% of the carat weight of the original piece. You'll have to find your own "magic number" for estimating yield depending on the quality of rough that you tend to buy. Better quality rough = less waste, but you'll pay a premium for it. Only experience can tell you where your personal sweet spot between quality and price lies.. Hopefully this parcel works out of you, but if it doesn't, don't be discouraged, keep at it! But while you're keeping at it, don't let it put you in the poor house. Based on you last comment this sounds like it may have been one of your first parcels. I don't know what kind if disposable income you're working with, but dropping $1500 on a parcel as a beginner is "impressive". I'd recommend cutting your teeth on maybe some $200-$300 parcels first, getting frustrated of course, but learning what you can learn from the stones themselves about how to cut opal, how to read opal, and also learn from the buying process about the level of risk you're willing to take. That's what buying rough opal is, a gamble. It's all about managing expectations. I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished pieces, but don't cut them until you think you're ready to cut them. Nothing would be worse than ruining a nice gem because of lack of experience and an artificial youtube deadline. Those nobbies will wait for you to grow into them. Good luck!
Wow I wasn't expecting to read a novel today. Thank you for the information. The truth is I was taught how to cut a cab by my grandfather but at the time of filming I hadn't cut a stone in 20 years and I had only cut a handful of common Utah opals which I now know are much softer than Australian opal. I am not intending to sell the opals once cut. I bought them because I intend to make my own jewelry. Blue/purple are my favorite colors and though I could buy a cut opal I think cutting the opal myself would make whatever I make that much more special. I have already purchased and cut several cheaper parcels one. An unboxing and cutting video was posted last night. Let me know how I did. ua-cam.com/video/_PuUuQsrD0I/v-deo.html
It's not the ct weight but the ct yield. I don't buy black opal direct stuff- too expensive.... but that package you got, assuming you spent around 1k should easily return a profit. The first stone (I'm 1/3rd through the vid and love speculating) should get you 2 opals- 1 black, one crustal. You don't need much black to make a black opal, just in the right spot. I rate the smallest as the best. I love the sand shot one. If you study then, you do notice the sand occurs in layers so typically you can slice through it. I'm tipping 2 offset sand layers that should net you 3 good stones. Let's see how I did 😊
Wow, it looks like you can see where the sand is in the middle of the Stone's. See the blue, and then you see this white stuff. Is that sand dirt whenever?
I guess it all depends what was in the original add if the weight was right in the add then you bought what was represented. If however the larger amount was on the add and you got less then yes they should make it right and if you want refund you and pay for shipping both ways. Most people who are in the jewelry business a long time a handshake or agreement is sufficient. So I am sure Justin will make it right to your satisfaction and I see he did.
Just remember , nothing holds a candle to personally hand picking in person your raw stone. Any other way your subject to mistakes or not getting what you want.
nothing personal but I have my self got into to the opal world ... im in the USA ... take your time get in with the miners . . you can find them if you take your time .. 3yrs in for me ... start on gamble ... as you spend thay will give you choice on better mats ....US dollar help if you know the basics.... is all a gamble...
Black opal direct DOES have THE HIGHEST prices for opal i have seen anywhere. That said he does have pretty stones, and lets be honest, if there are enough idiots to pay his sky high prices , then they deserve to get ripped off! But yeah i would shop elsewhere for opals... you can get 10x better deals at smaller opal sellers.
They are expensive but I've seen much higher else ware. One seller was asking almost $35k for a 21ct rub. Most of the rough stones for sale on BOD are very high quality with little to no visible imperfections. I've cut 3 of the stones so far and have probably got more than double the value so far in cut stones. I still have the largest stone to cut and I could get 30ct or larger black opal out of it that could be worth thousands.
Good video, just found your channel. Where would you sell these after you have done your work? I also do lapidary work and wish to start doing opals. Want to learn as much as I can before making the investment. Ha, I already have way too much various material to work on. Looking to add more. What do you do? This is an addicting hobby. Thank you Sir
It sure is addictive. I wasn't planning on selling my opals when I started but its obvious now that I am going to have to do something to support my habit. Im not ready to part with any yet but Im considering making a website.
@elizabethcave7666 The website has photographs of the stones and sometimes video. I wouldn't buy any opal without seeing it first because there is so much variety in color and quality.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I don't. Up until about 6 months ago the light and your average diamond tester was what I believed were the best guarantees. I just happened to come across people making rubies in their microwaves and in turn learned of new processes being used. I've been out of the jewelry game for a while so it was of note to me but not really of concern. I didn't look into any new testing options.
Yikes that's a gigantic error! Mistakes happen but half your listed ct is missing that's just sloppy business. Never down play someone else's error. You didn't make the mistake the merchant did.
I just want to say that not ALL lightning ridge opal flouresces. And there's all kinds of methods that can be used to make a stone flouresce in any color you want. I'd a better test would be to get it wet, look at it, touch it to your teeth, and tap it with a lightweight metal tool to see if it sounds like glass. Also, as soon as I saw the BOD bag, I knew you didn't get ripped off. I'm not sure that's a good way to publicize for Justin. But do you.
HOW? He bought the stones he saw pictures of, and when the typo came to light BPD offered to buy them back. He chose to keep the parcel. He chose. The price isn't set by the carat weight of the uncut stones - it's set by the characteristics of the stones and how much carat weight cutting them might produce. He couldn't just find an uncut stone of the weight to make the typo correct - that would change the price. Both parties are happy so nobody was ripped off. Bro Bro.
I've watched Justin cut lots of opals over the years, he comes across as a genuine person, I know there is lots of con merchants out there, but I am sure Justin is not one of them, it sounds like a genuine mistake somewhere,
Interesting. You say you got a bargain but also that you don't know how to cut opal, so how are you able to assess the value of the stones? Also important to know whether the vendor knew you would be reviewing the purchase. There are some great reviewers around that go to some lengths to ensure vendors don't know where the parcels going to end up meaning they don't get special treatment. Respect to Justin BOD, top of the game and UA-cam star but still has time for the plebs like me.
Just so its clear Justin was not attempting to deceive. The lot was mislabeled. Justin immediately offered me a full refund. He has a 30 day money back guarantee on all his products. I will definitely purchase from him again.
Justin is a very honest person so I'm glad you both dealt with this error in the best way possible. There's a lot of fun cutting ahead and i would love to see the result. Great video well done 👏 and well done BOD
Yeah off-cause for 1500 dollars you have nicer opals than for 80 dollars 💵 Thad is clear ! Ooh yeah nice package it is all included in the price ain’t it ? 2:45
Please don’t attempt to cut those stones if you’ve never cut Opal. Buy yourself some starters material/Opal that’s low quality and get a feel for working with Opal first. Even well experienced lapidaries, such as myself, would proceed with real caution when dealing with a tricky piece. No one wants costly mistakes to ruin their experience. Even Justin himself sometimes “ studies “ a piece for weeks,months and in some cases, years before he’ll take it on.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I see you have a wheel, but said you need to learn cutting opal (other cabos?). Make sure to find the sides of the color bar. Don't take for granted and cut from the top once you strike color as you might be hitting it uneven and shaving a thin side of the bar into potch before you know it. Don't start with too aggressive a grit, especially on thin sections as they will chip. Don't be afraid to slice off sections to make smaller stones as you can start to destroy your potential stone(s) by trying too hard to "just get through that one sand spot." Once it's shaped, don't be afraid to use a lower grit than normal if it needs fine detail (1200 instead of 600, 600 instead of 300). If you already work other stones, I'm sure you're aware corners will eat soft nova wheels, take them off with scentered wheels.
I wanna vomit....he's going to grind on that rough before he's ready....ugg. 😢 it's so rare! Maybe after he replaces his first set of Nova wheels will he be ready for that parcel. OMG!...I'm gonna be sick..
I was a opal cutter a long time ago, I do not think I would use any of these pieces! The big one is best, but the color is blue, does not seem to have fire. Green and Blue are cheap and hard to sell. But maybe I am wrong. I hope I am :)
Cool video. Personally, I think it was a bait and switch posting. Looking at all of the "pizzazz " they put in your package, I don't believe they would be so careless with their listing.
It's an easy mistake to make and the packaging is something many businesses plan well ahead of time Justin has a very good reputation. There is no need for him to try and deceive.
I need an attention grabbing thumbnail to get the clicks. Its the nature of UA-cam these days. No doubt some people are judging a 12+ minute video off of a single still image. I cant do anything to help them. They will have to learn to judge things based on the content on their own.
Black opal is a category or opal. In general it is referring to the dark potch on the back of the stone which brightens the colors but some black opals do have a black body color. Some of these stones had that once cut. The play of color can be any color but blue is the most common. Check out my videos of cutting these stones.
I've been cutting and cabbing opal for years and I have never bought a single piece I find all my own and having studied geology for many years I do know and understand this....but I'm just stating nevada has better fluorescent opal and we also have truly black opal....even tho australian opal is way more stable....and on a side note I cab and cut all my opals by hand💯 no machines or cabking....just sandpaper lol.....many grades of it 🤣
1500 💵 is a lot of money , I don’t now if you are aware people are starving to dead of hunger ! Oooh yeah you are doing absolutely fine ! ….At this time …..! 12:37
I think a more positive tag line would have been better, Black Opal Direct did send you what you ordered, you didnt want a refund, so where did the "Did Black Opals Direct rip me off" shit come from. Bad form for a cool video
It was an open question. It was not suggestive in any way. I had never bought or cut rough opal at the time. From my point of view I thought I go a fair deal but that was based only on watching UA-cam videos and searching the internet for rough opal prices. I'm surprised people have such a strong reaction to it on both sides of the argument. When I finish cutting the parcel I hope to put the argument to rest
That is not a question....You were infuring you were ripped off...Why didnt you say "Did Black Opal Direct send me the greatest Opal i have ever seen"...That would be more positive, open question.
Oh dear it seems the mistake was a dyslexic staff member putting a 5 instead of a 2. A bit embarrassing for all concerned but happily resolved and Black Opal Direct 's reputation is intact.
Long story short yes you did, you brought classic tourist parcel off a money driven opal cutter 🤷🏻♂️ you need to by from the miner to get any kind of worth while value or chance of cutters or making any money
Paying retail does not equal getting ripped off. There arent any Austrailian opal mines in the US. I dont know any Australian opal miners so my options are to pay retail. Ive cut the three smaller stones so far and Im pretty sure I have already gotten at least double the value. Sure I could have made more Id I was able to buy direct but the same is true of everything you buy.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I’ll rephrase that for you. You brought low grade opal off a cutter that didn’t want it, yes you got ripped off. Mate there are 6-7 miners I’m sure you watch every week on the show and any one of them would of sold you a decent parcel
I think that you got a great deal and any stone showing red and blue in black opal is a winner but as for cutting the stones please don't if you are not self taught and trained I recommend watching more black opal direct videos and set these stones off to the side in a jar of water just for safe keeping Justin is a outstanding friend and a great person to do business with yes people make mistakes but I don't hold it against them I give them the benefit of the doubt Justin has ALWAYS ALWAYS BEEN FIRST AND FORMOST FIRST CLASS WITH ALL BUISSINESS I'm sad that anyone would make a video this way over a clerical mistake but I will say this the stones you did get will cut more than what you paid I really wish the video was hey I got this fantastic deal and now I'm looking for a cutter if that were the case I would have gladly sent you to several fantastic friends who cut stones using a variety of machines and techniques each are fantastic. Please do me a favor make another video and apologize to Justin he is a outstanding friend and businessman and this really struck me in a sad way best regards to you and I hope that you make the right choice I hope you read this and hear what I'm saying thank you for your time
I never accused Justin of anything. I have the utmost respect for Justin. Mistakes were made but they were honest mistakes. However I was dishonest on one point. I'm not entirely new to cutting opal. My grandfather taught me how to cut a cabochon when I was a teenager but the only opals I have cut were common Utah opals. Still before I cut into these stones I practiced for weeks on lower quality Austrailian opals. to bring my confidence up
I’m pretty sure he’ll order from them again. And that means more videos promoting them. I couldn’t say for sure but it seems like it’s all good. I order from opal auctions.
If there is ANY Opal dealer on UA-cam that I would trust, it would be Black Opal Direct. Without a doubt. And as you stated in your video, even you yourself made a clerical mistake. It happens. I am honestly not surprised Justin and Co made up for it as well. In that business all you literally have IS your reputation, I HIGHLY and SINCERELY doubt Justin would stake his and his company’s reputation on a few bucks.
With all due respect, these aren't the opals, that you want to start practicing on. One should always start practicing, on cutting clean Potch stones, and only venture into color, when you're very comfortable, with making extremely fine-tuned alterations! This way, you can make the best determinations, of where the best possible results will come from! Leave those Fire Opals alone, then practice cutting common Quartz, which is a bit harder, and exponentially more available! 🫶
Thank you for the review Tom. I am sorry I was not accurate on the carat weight. I'm not sure how that happened but it did. But every so often it does happen and I make up for it. As long as you are still happy with the parcel I am happy. Great video. 🙂
Wow its an honor. I didn't think you would ever see this video. I am very happy with the parcel. Thank you.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop yes many people love what I do and what I stand for so I don’t miss much as I get sent everything that happens on the inter webs haha. It’s an honour that you felt you wanted to share your thoughts on us. Thank you 🙏
justin your the best , just after comes Pullitzer hahaah, hi Caporal!@@blackopaldirect
If Justin offered to make it I'd take him up on it! Js
There's a lesson here. It is better to receive than take.
Glad to see that Justin and Co tried to make it right with you and you were still satisfied. Justin's always seemed like a standup guy, so I wasn't surprised. Good luck cutting them into beautiful gems, Tom!
Some people seem to think I'm accusing Justin and Black Opal Direct of trying to pull a fast one. I am not. An honest mistake was made on their part and realizing their mistake they offered a full refund which I declined because I was still happy with my purchase. If you are in the market for Australian Opal I recommend checking out Blackopaldirect.com They sell top quality opals both rough and cut as well as jewelry.
I get my opals at a very low prices via a reputable Australian auction. Black Opal Direct is the reason why I started cutting opals in the first place. The man has some awesome philosophies. I cut every one of my stones by hand...literally... and I enjoy it. Nice review.
that phosphorescence is pretty cool.
Justin is a straight up boss when it comes to opals. I trust his parcels.
good luck cutting these pieces!
It would be interesting to see what you manage to cut and polish from this parcel.
Thanks for this video! I’d be very interested to see how your opals look after you cut them!
Justin is a very fair guy so no drama there. Not all lightning ridge flares under UV infact Coober Pedy is far more UV reactive so not a good test.
As far as cutting goes you'll easily make a profit if cut properly especially that 3td black multicoloured if you slice it. Stones that size rarely create single gems
He is fair, which is why I was shocked the ct weight was so low.
Interesting video. Can't wait to see you cutting the stones on your restored cabking! :)
Great info on the fluorescence and phosphorescent fact !
Takes me way back to when I made my first BOD unboxing, really cool to see!
Would love to see a follow up video on the stones you manage to cut out of that one.
Typos happen and glad its all cleared up.
Recorded a reaction video for the channel but it wont be released for quite a while and hopefully that will send a bunch of people your way.
The more opal videos online the better so keep it up!
Good ol’ Roy! If he gives you a shout out I hope you make a follow up video too cause he’ll send a lot of opal lovers your way.
Man, you are everywhere.....😂😂😂 omw 2 your channel 2 see what's new😂😂😂
@@scottvanderwerf3391 I like to check out a bunch of opal videos scattered out there. The more the better!
I ordered them before but you need to know how to read the opal to cut. Also he is very helpful if you have a problem with one.
I've bought opals from BOD before, and I think they are very honest people, so I completely accept that it was a typo. While I find that their prices are a little higher than some places, so too are the quality of their rough stones, so who is to say that that isn't a "fair" price. $1500 seems about on par for a 236ct parcel of blue stones LR nobbies from them.
A couple thoughts from what I suspect is a *slightly* more experienced opal buyer and cutter:
1) Those are veritable paperweights or self defense tools. I say that in a good way, I am completely jealous of their size. Most of the LR material that I buy is a quarter of that size at best. It's really fun working with stones that large because with smaller stones, you know that even if everything goes well, it's not going to get any bigger than the original rough piece.
2) While I love blue (it's may favorite color, even when talking opals), they're not worth what green or yellow, or red stones are worth. So if you're in it to make a happy buck, experience has taught me that it's harder to get excited when I see a lot of blue in a parcel. The bits of red are quite small in these and will probably disappear along with the sand unfortunately (Red likes to live right under the sand, and sometimes interspersed with it).
3) This is probably the most important point, Don't count your chickens until they're hatched. It's easy, I mean really easy, to fall into a lottery mentality with opal. When looking at a prospective parcel to buy, try not to hope for the best, in fact you're probably better off expecting the worst. (Then again if you're a total pessimist, you'll never cut anything worthwhile) I often hear that you can expect to lose about 65% of the stone to the cutting process, but that really depends on the initial state of the rough piece. For me that number seems to be closer to 80 or 85%, but that's because I tend to buy the roughest of the rough. Sometimes the color bar, if there is one at all (and it's not just blue tinted jelly opal), can cover less of the surface than you expect. I'm going to guess that you may have an 8 to 15 ct stone hiding in that 94ct piece of rough, IF you cut away all the bits that bring the value down (many people wouldn't, and many people would have large boring stones). Now don't let that number get you down, a stone that large has value just by virtue of it's size, but of all the 30+ carat pieces of rough that I've cut, only a few have yielded a finished stone that is more than 20% of the carat weight of the original piece. You'll have to find your own "magic number" for estimating yield depending on the quality of rough that you tend to buy. Better quality rough = less waste, but you'll pay a premium for it. Only experience can tell you where your personal sweet spot between quality and price lies..
Hopefully this parcel works out of you, but if it doesn't, don't be discouraged, keep at it! But while you're keeping at it, don't let it put you in the poor house. Based on you last comment this sounds like it may have been one of your first parcels. I don't know what kind if disposable income you're working with, but dropping $1500 on a parcel as a beginner is "impressive". I'd recommend cutting your teeth on maybe some $200-$300 parcels first, getting frustrated of course, but learning what you can learn from the stones themselves about how to cut opal, how to read opal, and also learn from the buying process about the level of risk you're willing to take. That's what buying rough opal is, a gamble. It's all about managing expectations. I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished pieces, but don't cut them until you think you're ready to cut them. Nothing would be worse than ruining a nice gem because of lack of experience and an artificial youtube deadline. Those nobbies will wait for you to grow into them. Good luck!
Wow I wasn't expecting to read a novel today. Thank you for the information. The truth is I was taught how to cut a cab by my grandfather but at the time of filming I hadn't cut a stone in 20 years and I had only cut a handful of common Utah opals which I now know are much softer than Australian opal. I am not intending to sell the opals once cut. I bought them because I intend to make my own jewelry. Blue/purple are my favorite colors and though I could buy a cut opal I think cutting the opal myself would make whatever I make that much more special. I have already purchased and cut several cheaper parcels one. An unboxing and cutting video was posted last night. Let me know how I did. ua-cam.com/video/_PuUuQsrD0I/v-deo.html
He was talking about halfway through the video. That’s my move.
It's not the ct weight but the ct yield. I don't buy black opal direct stuff- too expensive.... but that package you got, assuming you spent around 1k should easily return a profit. The first stone (I'm 1/3rd through the vid and love speculating) should get you 2 opals- 1 black, one crustal. You don't need much black to make a black opal, just in the right spot. I rate the smallest as the best. I love the sand shot one. If you study then, you do notice the sand occurs in layers so typically you can slice through it. I'm tipping 2 offset sand layers that should net you 3 good stones. Let's see how I did 😊
Awww... you didn't cut them. Well... have fun
Don't forget to subscribe to see me cut these gems.
Done🫡
Wow, it looks like you can see where the sand is in the middle of the Stone's. See the blue, and then you see this white stuff. Is that sand dirt whenever?
I'm very happy to have one of Black Opal Directs opals. I did a happy dance when I got it. Such a good man
I guess it all depends what was in the original add if the weight was right in the add then you bought what was represented. If however the larger amount was on the add and you got less then yes they should make it right and if you want refund you and pay for shipping both ways. Most people who are in the jewelry business a long time a handshake or agreement is sufficient. So I am sure Justin will make it right to your satisfaction and I see he did.
Just remember , nothing holds a candle to personally hand picking in person your raw stone. Any other way your subject to mistakes or not getting what you want.
Agreed unfortunately Australian opal doesn't grow in California and anyone I could possibly buy direct from locally is going to have a huge markup.
That's potch on potch.
nothing personal but I have my self got into to the opal world ... im in the USA ... take your time get in with the miners . . you can find them if you take your time .. 3yrs in for me ... start on gamble ... as you spend thay will give you choice on better mats ....US dollar help if you know the basics.... is all a gamble...
So how much was that parcel??$?
Black opal direct DOES have THE HIGHEST prices for opal i have seen anywhere. That said he does have pretty stones, and lets be honest, if there are enough idiots to pay his sky high prices , then they deserve to get ripped off!
But yeah i would shop elsewhere for opals... you can get 10x better deals at smaller opal sellers.
They are expensive but I've seen much higher else ware. One seller was asking almost $35k for a 21ct rub. Most of the rough stones for sale on BOD are very high quality with little to no visible imperfections. I've cut 3 of the stones so far and have probably got more than double the value so far in cut stones. I still have the largest stone to cut and I could get 30ct or larger black opal out of it that could be worth thousands.
Beautiful
Looking forward to seeing you cutting them :)
I can GUARANTEE u didnt get ripped off!!!!
My black LR phosphorescence is about 5 seconds. But they're cabbed. I had a guy down there who sent me some amazing opal.
I haven't checked any after I cut them but I've gotten some LR stones from other sellers that glow for much longer.
Good video, just found your channel. Where would you sell these after you have done your work? I also do lapidary work and wish to start doing opals. Want to learn as much as I can before making the investment. Ha, I already have way too much various material to work on. Looking to add more. What do you do? This is an addicting hobby. Thank you Sir
It sure is addictive. I wasn't planning on selling my opals when I started but its obvious now that I am going to have to do something to support my habit. Im not ready to part with any yet but Im considering making a website.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop Very nice, I'll keep a watch out for ya
Nustin is one of the only people i will buy from, very honest and good quality.
Good!
Blue and purple opals are my favorite. I’d definitely watch you cut them.
They are my favorite too.
Did you ask for blue stones ? Just wondering if a color choice is an option.
@elizabethcave7666 The website has photographs of the stones and sometimes video. I wouldn't buy any opal without seeing it first because there is so much variety in color and quality.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop , thanks, understand
Excellent video Sir💯👍💯
Appreciated
I prefer those with much red, yellow and green.
Lemongrass essential oils smells a lot like fruit loops 😊🏆 Your spot on.
Now I'm wondering what is in Fruit Loops.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop a synthetic compound derived from lemongrass would be my guess. 🤷♂️
Be careful trusting the torch test. The newest man-made gem process produces stones that fluoresce.
Thanks for the info. Do you know of any other reliable tests I could use in the future?
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I don't. Up until about 6 months ago the light and your average diamond tester was what I believed were the best guarantees. I just happened to come across people making rubies in their microwaves and in turn learned of new processes being used. I've been out of the jewelry game for a while so it was of note to me but not really of concern. I didn't look into any new testing options.
Poor guy. You got nothing but sand pits.
That is real Opal you can tell by looking at it 👀
Get yourself accurate scales hope that jeweller you took it to for weighing didn’t snip off a chunk
I never had any doubt.
Yikes that's a gigantic error! Mistakes happen but half your listed ct is missing that's just sloppy business. Never down play someone else's error. You didn't make the mistake the merchant did.
Now I know why they have unboxing videos.
I just want to say that not ALL lightning ridge opal flouresces. And there's all kinds of methods that can be used to make a stone flouresce in any color you want. I'd a better test would be to get it wet, look at it, touch it to your teeth, and tap it with a lightweight metal tool to see if it sounds like glass.
Also, as soon as I saw the BOD bag, I knew you didn't get ripped off. I'm not sure that's a good way to publicize for Justin. But do you.
You got ripped off bro
HOW? He bought the stones he saw pictures of, and when the typo came to light BPD offered to buy them back. He chose to keep the parcel. He chose. The price isn't set by the carat weight of the uncut stones - it's set by the characteristics of the stones and how much carat weight cutting them might produce. He couldn't just find an uncut stone of the weight to make the typo correct - that would change the price. Both parties are happy so nobody was ripped off. Bro Bro.
I've watched Justin cut lots of opals over the years, he comes across as a genuine person, I know there is lots of con merchants out there, but I am sure Justin is not one of them, it sounds like a genuine mistake somewhere,
they would not have gotten my $1200.00.....
I have not seen any similar stones priced for less per carat being sold anywhere.
Hope you get some decent cabs and don't run in to a lot of sand and, find a little color some where. good luck----Don @@TomsBackyardWorkshop
Yeah, I’d say you got ripped off
Great score, Just start cleaning the skin, you'll get in to it.......
I wouldnt have paid 100$ for them' its blue potch lol
Blue potch? Do you mean opal you silly bastard? So if it's mostly opal and you're buying opal you think he overpaid for getting to much opal?
Interesting. You say you got a bargain but also that you don't know how to cut opal, so how are you able to assess the value of the stones? Also important to know whether the vendor knew you would be reviewing the purchase. There are some great reviewers around that go to some lengths to ensure vendors don't know where the parcels going to end up meaning they don't get special treatment. Respect to Justin BOD, top of the game and UA-cam star but still has time for the plebs like me.
I loved learning about the fluorescence thanks
Yeah I had just learned about that before shooting the video.
Australia smells like red dust and sweat . . Lol
Would not have bought that
Thanks for the presentation, and heads up for black opal direct.😮
Just so its clear Justin was not attempting to deceive. The lot was mislabeled. Justin immediately offered me a full refund. He has a 30 day money back guarantee on all his products. I will definitely purchase from him again.
You also need a gem torch to
Like this one 10:52
One would think Justin would supply the missing 200+ carats of opal paid for!!!! Any thoughts besides mine on this matter?
No one should be forced to take a loss because of a typo. I received all the opal I paid for.
With that attitude, you’re getting another new follower. @@TomsBackyardWorkshop
Did it come in a box
It was shipped in a bubble envelope.
Justin is a very honest person so I'm glad you both dealt with this error in the best way possible. There's a lot of fun cutting ahead and i would love to see the result.
Great video well done 👏 and well done BOD
Yeah off-cause for 1500 dollars you have nicer opals than for 80 dollars 💵 Thad is clear ! Ooh yeah nice package it is all included in the price ain’t it ? 2:45
Please don’t attempt to cut those stones if you’ve never cut Opal. Buy yourself some starters material/Opal that’s low quality and get a feel for working with Opal first. Even well experienced lapidaries, such as myself, would proceed with real caution when dealing with a tricky piece. No one wants costly mistakes to ruin their experience. Even Justin himself sometimes “ studies “ a piece for weeks,months and in some cases, years before he’ll take it on.
I'm just a simple rock hunter 🙂
That scent card smell like Fosters? hehe
Or dead kangaroo 🦘 haha
Black Opal Direct isn't gonna rip you off.
Make a cutting video please
I have already started.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I see you have a wheel, but said you need to learn cutting opal (other cabos?). Make sure to find the sides of the color bar. Don't take for granted and cut from the top once you strike color as you might be hitting it uneven and shaving a thin side of the bar into potch before you know it. Don't start with too aggressive a grit, especially on thin sections as they will chip. Don't be afraid to slice off sections to make smaller stones as you can start to destroy your potential stone(s) by trying too hard to "just get through that one sand spot." Once it's shaped, don't be afraid to use a lower grit than normal if it needs fine detail (1200 instead of 600, 600 instead of 300). If you already work other stones, I'm sure you're aware corners will eat soft nova wheels, take them off with scentered wheels.
@@MrSkrilla316 I suppose that was a bit of a tease. At the time of filming I had cut a few pieces of candy opal but no precious opal.
I wanna vomit....he's going to grind on that rough before he's ready....ugg. 😢 it's so rare! Maybe after he replaces his first set of Nova wheels will he be ready for that parcel. OMG!...I'm gonna be sick..
🪣
How much are they
This parcel was $1500 but they have parcels in all price ranges.
COOL I will. 🎃👑🖖
Thanks for watching.
I was a opal cutter a long time ago, I do not think I would use any of these pieces!
The big one is best, but the color is blue, does not seem to have fire. Green and Blue are cheap and hard to sell. But maybe I am wrong. I hope I am :)
Compared to the 4k lot he shows he bought id say you got hosed'
Cool video.
Personally, I think it was a bait and switch posting.
Looking at all of the "pizzazz " they put in your package, I don't believe they would be so careless with their listing.
It's an easy mistake to make and the packaging is something many businesses plan well ahead of time
Justin has a very good reputation. There is no need for him to try and deceive.
I think its the thumbnail of "did i get ripped off" that makes the video appear negative. Just saying
I need an attention grabbing thumbnail to get the clicks. Its the nature of UA-cam these days. No doubt some people are judging a 12+ minute video off of a single still image. I cant do anything to help them. They will have to learn to judge things based on the content on their own.
Just polish them now.
Sweetie...you may be dyslexic. The paper said 563....not 653!
Nevada opal glowes better and our black opals are actually black and not blue like Australia
Black opal is a category or opal. In general it is referring to the dark potch on the back of the stone which brightens the colors but some black opals do have a black body color. Some of these stones had that once cut. The play of color can be any color but blue is the most common. Check out my videos of cutting these stones.
I've been cutting and cabbing opal for years and I have never bought a single piece I find all my own and having studied geology for many years I do know and understand this....but I'm just stating nevada has better fluorescent opal and we also have truly black opal....even tho australian opal is way more stable....and on a side note I cab and cut all my opals by hand💯 no machines or cabking....just sandpaper lol.....many grades of it 🤣
1500 💵 is a lot of money , I don’t now if you are aware people are starving to dead of hunger ! Oooh yeah you are doing absolutely fine ! ….At this time …..! 12:37
I think a more positive tag line would have been better, Black Opal Direct did send you what you ordered, you didnt want a refund, so where did the "Did Black Opals Direct rip me off" shit come from. Bad form for a cool video
It was an open question. It was not suggestive in any way. I had never bought or cut rough opal at the time. From my point of view I thought I go a fair deal but that was based only on watching UA-cam videos and searching the internet for rough opal prices. I'm surprised people have such a strong reaction to it on both sides of the argument. When I finish cutting the parcel I hope to put the argument to rest
That is not a question....You were infuring you were ripped off...Why didnt you say "Did Black Opal Direct send me the greatest Opal i have ever seen"...That would be more positive, open question.
Lemon myrtle,.... better than wet kangaroo.....
I will take your word for it.
I too bought a parcel from black opal direct. It was all podge and I sent it back. I won’t order anything from them.
I'm glade they made it right. I have seen better, but I'm not expert.
Indonesia Black Opal is the best
I didn't know Indonesia had opals.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop you can looking black opal banten
For other opal you can looking "batu kalimaya" banten...
No , lightning ridge black opal is the worlds best & the high quality gems are the most expensive in the world .
Oh dear it seems the mistake was a dyslexic staff member putting a 5 instead of a 2. A bit embarrassing for all concerned but happily resolved and Black Opal Direct 's reputation is intact.
Long story short yes you did, you brought classic tourist parcel off a money driven opal cutter 🤷🏻♂️ you need to by from the miner to get any kind of worth while value or chance of cutters or making any money
Paying retail does not equal getting ripped off. There arent any Austrailian opal mines in the US. I dont know any Australian opal miners so my options are to pay retail. Ive cut the three smaller stones so far and Im pretty sure I have already gotten at least double the value. Sure I could have made more Id I was able to buy direct but the same is true of everything you buy.
@@TomsBackyardWorkshop I’ll rephrase that for you. You brought low grade opal off a cutter that didn’t want it, yes you got ripped off. Mate there are 6-7 miners I’m sure you watch every week on the show and any one of them would of sold you a decent parcel
@@joke4301 I'm happy with my purchase. I've gotten very nice stones out of the ones I've cut and suspect the last stone to cut at least a $1500 stone.
I think that you got a great deal and any stone showing red and blue in black opal is a winner but as for cutting the stones please don't if you are not self taught and trained I recommend watching more black opal direct videos and set these stones off to the side in a jar of water just for safe keeping Justin is a outstanding friend and a great person to do business with yes people make mistakes but I don't hold it against them I give them the benefit of the doubt Justin has ALWAYS ALWAYS BEEN FIRST AND FORMOST FIRST CLASS WITH ALL BUISSINESS I'm sad that anyone would make a video this way over a clerical mistake but I will say this the stones you did get will cut more than what you paid I really wish the video was hey I got this fantastic deal and now I'm looking for a cutter if that were the case I would have gladly sent you to several fantastic friends who cut stones using a variety of machines and techniques each are fantastic.
Please do me a favor make another video and apologize to Justin he is a outstanding friend and businessman and this really struck me in a sad way best regards to you and I hope that you make the right choice I hope you read this and hear what I'm saying thank you for your time
I never accused Justin of anything. I have the utmost respect for Justin. Mistakes were made but they were honest mistakes. However I was dishonest on one point. I'm not entirely new to cutting opal. My grandfather taught me how to cut a cabochon when I was a teenager but the only opals I have cut were common Utah opals. Still before I cut into these stones I practiced for weeks on lower quality Austrailian opals. to bring my confidence up
You did nothing wrong pointing out the mistake.
I am betting you took this a lot harder than Justin did.
I’m pretty sure he’ll order from them again. And that means more videos promoting them. I couldn’t say for sure but it seems like it’s all good. I order from opal auctions.
@@Urban_Piggy I probably will if the right stones are available.
If there is ANY Opal dealer on UA-cam that I would trust, it would be Black Opal Direct.
Without a doubt.
And as you stated in your video, even you yourself made a clerical mistake. It happens.
I am honestly not surprised Justin and Co made up for it as well. In that business all you literally have IS your reputation, I HIGHLY and SINCERELY doubt Justin would stake his and his company’s reputation on a few bucks.
With all due respect, these aren't the opals, that you want to start practicing on. One should always start practicing, on cutting clean Potch stones, and only venture into color, when you're very comfortable, with making extremely fine-tuned alterations! This way, you can make the best determinations, of where the best possible results will come from! Leave those Fire Opals alone, then practice cutting common Quartz, which is a bit harder, and exponentially more available! 🫶